


Lessons and Secrets

by idrilhadhafang



Series: The Broken Edge [7]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Bullying, Child manipulation, Gen, Snoke being a creepy guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 11:19:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9382196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Ten snippets of Rey's training back when she was Jaina Skywalker.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "Mentors".
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

1\. From the beginning, Ben is a lot like an informal teacher for Jaina. She likes him a lot; he's nice, friendly, and there's something about his company she really likes. He also doesn't seem to mind that she's a little kid either. It's just really cool that the big kids don't mind her that much -- at least Ben doesn't. Ben seems to actually take her seriously too. Which is nice. People don't often acknowledge that she's not a baby; she's a big girl.

2\. Master Yana used to scare Jaina at first, but now she's gotten used to him. He scared her at first with his height -- he's almost as big as a Wookiee, Jaina thinks -- but he's incredibly nice to her and shares really fascinating stories. She still likes hearing more about Milara and the Empire; there is something about them that's enough to fascinate her.

3\. She's at first scared of the lightsaber, but after Huyang explains things more to her, that the lightsaber isn't going to hurt her, she takes to how shiny it is and how pretty. She doesn't like the yellow ones; the yellow ones are icky-looking. She likes the blue and the green and purple; they're all very pretty colors. And she sees more of them when Huyang takes them into the cave -- with adult supervision -- to search for crystals.

She just wonders why there are no red crystals. It's bringing it up to Huyang that the droid actually seems startled.

"Well, you see," says the droid, "Not all Force users are good. Some of them go bad, very bad, and they use red crystals in their lightsabers."

"They're bad guy crystals?"

A startled laugh from Huyang. "Well, yes."

"Why do they only use red crystals?"

"To distinguish themselves from other Jedi, I suppose," says Huyang. "They prefer to not be associated with Jedi in any way. They even change their names."

"That's awful!"

"Indeed it is. Be very careful of them, Jaina."

4\. She does occasionally struggle with the Force. It's the matter of using it to lift things that really gets to Jaina in that moment. Just when she thinks she's got it, it falls back down. Daddy tries to reassure her, of course, but it doesn't really change the fact that Jaina's reminded of how bad she really is at lifting things with the Force. Kira Mers likes making fun of her for that, saying she should go back and train with the babies. She's not a baby, of course; she's a big girl, but that doesn't stop Kira.

Jaina just wishes she was better with lifting things up.

5\. Ben helps her with the Force. Jaina is starting to get better just watching him do it, and it's more than worth it to see the look on Kira's face when Jaina manages to lift a block off the ground during one of their lessons, as well as hear the teachers murmur about how well she did.

6\. Ben also helps her with her lightsaber training. She's still a bit confused about not using your eyes to deflect the bolts and everything -- after all, you see with your eyes, don't you? -- but she is getting better at it. Just the matter of deflecting bolts.

7\. Mommy, Daddy and Yana also help her out with the Force and her lightsaber training. Yana likes to teach her new tricks, and Mommy and Daddy provide her with reassurance and guidance, telling her it's going to be okay. They may not like the fact that Jaina may be learning Bad Things from Ben (at least it seems like what Daddy's saying), but at least they are good at reassuring her that she's doing well.

8\. When she gets a lightsaber, she's a Sentinel -- she doesn't like the crystal though, the gross yellow crystal, and so she changes it to blue. She likes the color blue. It reminds her of Ben's saber, and Ben's one of her heroes that she wants to be like when she grows up. Along with Mommy, Annie and Yana. They all seem so brace, so cool, and she wishes that she could be like them.

Maybe one day she will.

Jaina promises that when she grows up, she'll be a fantastic, skilled Jedi who protects the weak. She'll stop the bad guys and help the good guys win, and she'll show Kira that she's not a baby and she's as good as any of them.

Yeah. She will.

9\. Kira and her gang like to make fun of her.

"Why don't you go and train with the babies?" Kira says after one instance where Jaina struggles with lifting a rock with the Force. "That's as good as you are. Just a baby. Can't even lift a stupid rock. Can you even believe that you're the Grand Master's daughter and can't even lift a pebble?"

"Can so!"

"Baby, baby, Jaina's gonna train with the babies..." The rest of the girls pick up the chant until it seems the antechamber's ringing with it.

By the time Daddy reaches the hall, Jaina and Kira are already in a physical fight, and Daddy has to pull Jaina off her.

"Jaina," he says later, long after they're out of earshot of Kira, "What does the Code say?"

"There is no e-moh-shun, there is peace."

"Just because Kira made fun of you doesn't mean you need to strike back," Daddy says. "We don't hit people, Jaya, we don't punch them -- the only exceptions are if someone tries to hurt you first." Daddy's voice is gentle, but it doesn't keep Jaina from feeling bad in that moment.

But the lesson's learned. She won't punch anyone. Not unless she's punched first.

She just wishes that the girls will stop bullying her.

 

10\. "It's our little secret." Yana tells her even as she and Ben follow him into the glade, away from the other Padawans, and Jaina won't deny that there is something exciting about the word "secret". Like it's just for her and Ben, no one else. And yet Jaina can't help but be afraid. She's remembering something her mommy told her, about secrets, and the difference between a secret and a surprise. Secrets hurt everyone, sweetheart. Secrets can be used to hurt people. If anyone tells you to keep a secret, you tell me right away.

But there's nothing to fear, is there? After all, Yana's not a bad man. He's their friend.

Jaina hesitates. "Mr. Yah-nah," she says, "Why is it a secret?"

"Call it a way to get a one-up on the girls who are mean to you. They do make fun of you, don't they?" A beat. "There's really no secrets in the Enclave, young Skywalker. I was using a figure of speech."

"Okay."

"It hurts when they make fun of you. When they gossip about you. Doesn't it?"

"Y-yeah." Jaina's lip quivers, and she looks away. It's humiliating to cry in front of grown-ups, even if they want to help her.

"I'm giving you a chance to get the better of them. Know their secrets. But you must never tell a soul. Your father will most likely be very angry with both you and Ben."

Jaina nods. She doesn't want to get Ben into trouble, she really doesn't. And Daddy will be very very angry if she did a Bad Thing, even if she did it just to get back at the girls making fun of her for having issues with her training.

"Close your eyes, Jaina. Open your mind. Imagine the waters of the Room of a Thousand Fountains quieting and becoming still. Imagine the wind stilling on the plains of Yavin."

Jaina does. It takes effort, but she manages.

"Now, listen..."

 

 


End file.
